Financial Coordinators are Salespeople for Dental Treatment
The late Dr. Harold Wirth once said, “The people of America have the money to buy what they want; it is dentistry’s responsibility to have them buy what they need.”
The Financial Coordinator and every other staff member in the practice should adopt the attitude above. First for the well-being of the patient and second for the practice. This leaves out no one, and includes the Receptionist, dental assistants and any part-time personnel.
Before services are rendered, the Financial Coordinator should sit down with each patient and explain how the practice handles patient accounts including billing, insurance, etc. This should eliminate any disagreements on payment arrangements and is done before the appointment time is saved for the patient. A financial agreement is signed and the patient receives a copy.
The patient might say: 1) “I know I need that treatment, but I want to pay cash for it as I go along (but I don’t have the money to do it right now).” 2) “I really can’t afford it right now.” 3) “I think I will wait on it for a while.” 4) “I’ll have to talk it over with my spouse first.” 5) “I’ll have to wait until I get the money.” 6) “The teeth are not bothering me now, so I’ll just wait for a while.”
The Financial Coordinator must be prepared to handle these comments and have the patient accept their treatment plan.
I’ll be sharing more on increasing treatment acceptance in future Dentaltown blog posts.
As you learn how to do this, you will gain more self-confidence in yourself and you will be helping your fellow man to a more healthful mouth, body and life.
Happy Scheduling!
